Traveller reviews

"I took my partner and two children the flight and service going to the resort was superb. When we got to the hotel room the floor was covered in muck and the lamp shades were covered in dust.

We went end of May to the start of June and it was very quite. The resort is more or less one long road on the front once you walked up and down it that is it. I would advise you to rent a car to get the most out of your holiday if you do visit Slives and Alvor nice to have a walk around I would recommend the boat trip up the river to Slives.

There are some great places to eat in resort I would recommend big reds rib shack, dukes which do excellent breakfast, dinner, and tea and the sitting bull which a steak house the best steaks in town and also the dragon Chinese which do an excellent buffet all you can eat for 9.95 euros.

There are fair few pubs to drink at as well like boogie bar good pint of lager and try a fat frog, the red lion good atmosphere and nice pint and the ice bar quite lot of locals use this bar they are all very friendly very nice and cheap pint of lager."

by D Little

7/ 10

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My Husband and I are just back from...

"My Husband and I are just back from Praia Da Rocha after spending 1 Week at Club Praia Da Rocha, after reading the reviews on this site before leaving I was gutted to think we were departing for a holiday from hell. We had a fabulous time and I could not fault the apartments in any way (however we did avoid the Hotel Restaurant just to be on the safe side as we heard it had been on TV a few times with regards to the standard of food).

However the resort has plenty of restaurants to choice from and we were always satisfied with the standard of food and service we received. La Dolce Vita is one of the restaurants we tried even after reading one of the reviews here which advised it wasn’t to good service or hygiene wise, I would recommend this to anyone, the service was friendly and quick and the food was amazing.

A truly relaxing and enjoyable holiday, don’t be put off by some these reviews. Although the rooms are basic but met our requirements as who wants to be sitting in a room all day or night when you have wonderful sights just steps away."

by K Millar

9/ 10

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I went at the end of last September...

"I went at the end of last September for two weeks and had a ball. There was me, my fella and my seven year old son. We were greeted with a nice reception who went as quickly as possible to get our room keys.

I went with Budget Travel so our welcome meeting wasn't til the following morning. We had a look around to see what entertainment was on in the apartments and i was surprised to see all that was on for that time of year. They had a mini disco every night for the children followed by bingo and then a little show on at ten.

The beach was clean and the golden sand went on for miles. The beach front was full of little shops and some lovely restaurants with reasonable prices.

The only thing I found pricey was the little supermarket just outside the apartments. I found you had to shop around."

by J Brady

9/ 10

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The Algarve is now officially my...

"The Algarve is now officially my favourite place in the universe. I absolutely adore the golden beaches, with gaping big rocks just standing there surrounded by vivid blue sea. The beach seems to go on forever and ever.

Praia Da Rocha was a perfect resort for my Husband and I, great restaurants serving everything from Chinese cuisine to traditional Portuguese.

The streets are lined with shops, there's a huge Casino for those who can afford to gamble money away and no end of bars though all very tasteful.

Praia Da Rocha is the destination for holiday makers who don't exactly want a sleepy holiday but a classy holiday."

by K Plaskitt

9/ 10

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We took two children to the club in...

"We took two children to the club in July last year and had a great time for the two weeks we were there. We enjoyed the kids parties every night, we enjoyed staying by the pool several days, we went to the beach several times which was absolutely great, even when a wave pulled my shorts off and I was stood there in the buff.

We travelled to Slide and Splash which was quite good, just not enough slides for the mid range kid i.e. 6 to 10 years. The bars were EXCELLENT, watching football, soaps, GAA (come on Tyrone), eating masses of food in various restaurants. Really enjoyed a few good nights in Daly’s Bar right next door to the club. Even won the quiz and got a litre of vodka there.

What am I doing here? Oh yes I'm starting to drift away from the topic now rather like Ms Saunders who was there in October, sorry.

So rather than go on and on and on about places to eat as opposed to the accommodation, which is what this is supposed to be about I shall return to that very topic.

The apartments were very clean, the lifts were a little erratic but added to the fun with the kids. Beer average price. The poolside was crowded sometimes but where isn’t in the summer? Reception was very friendly, ok, only two or three staff but they saw to our needs when it was our turn, no complaints there. Trips could be booked there cheaper than with the reps. The bars were open when you wanted, and til late enough in the night when you have kids with you. I heard a little rowdiness one or two nights but again where don't you at that time of the year. I watched EVERY night as several ladies cleaned round the pool and the walkways, leaving no **** there for the next day.

The pool man was there at 6 every morning ensuring the waters were clean and filtered. The kids pool was great for little ones and they could even brave the big pool at the shallow end as well. There were two lifeguards on duty every day ALL day. The rooms were basic, but unlike others who have complained about them, I tended to spend a lot more time away from there than in it. How sad to feel you had to remain closeted in such a horrible place.

I will say that I felt the balcony of our room was rather narrow and you couldn't sit 4 round the table, but luckily we managed to survive that without overdue stress. Late in the night there were English / American movies on our hire TV. That was great if I couldn’t sleep. All in all I have no problems WHATSOEVER with Club Praia Da Rocha and have today re-booked to go back there this year. Not only did my partner and I want to go back but the kids were adamant that was where they wanted to go as well.

My ONLY complaint would be with our holiday reps. I found them very distant (sometimes so distant I couldn’t see them). The holiday company we went with last year had no kids club, the one provided by the hotel was basically just a reading/drawing room. No kids activities during the day unless you were with the Irish company Budget. They had their own reps club, and very good it looked too.

Anyway, we are hoping to enjoy this year as much as last year.

Declan."

by D Colgan

9/ 10

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Was very disappointed with club Praia...

"Was very disappointed with club Praia Da Rocha. I have been to Praia Da Rocha many times and love the area but after staying in club Praia Da Rocha it was a very disappointing holiday.

I rarely saw any cleaning ladies. Our towels or bed linen were only changed once in the whole two weeks we were there. The tiles in the bathroom were cracked and falling off the wall.

The only reason i gave club Praia Da Rocha four out of ten is just because of its location. You are right beside everything. I am going to go back to Praia Da Rocha next year but will not be going back to these apartments."

by E Bolter

4/ 10

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My fiancé and I have been to three...

"My fiancé and I have been to three different locations in the Mediterranean since 2002 and Clube Praia Da Rocha was the worst we have ever stayed in.

Upon arrival at the resort at 1140hrs we had to wait around until 1430hrs to be able to check in as the rooms were not available, until this time we were told to have a drink in the bar a pint of beer being 3 euros each! When I saw the room, (of which I asked for a poolside view and not on the road, I got both - very noisy in and a slight view of the pool in the Edificio Pacifico). The staff on reception were polite but there was always a queue, only two members of staff at any one time and an English lady had to ask me about local supermarkets as the young guy on reception did not understand her very well.

The supermarket on your right as you exit the hotel is very expensive. Turn left out of the hotel reception and head towards Daly’s Irish Bar, where across the road you will find a much cheaper supermarket called Squash, all you could want really and very cheap. Buy the Super Bock large bottles of beer, you are charged 0.25 cents per bottle but when you return them you get 0.25 cents back. Fresh bread is baked daily and is fabulous, you can even buy Danish back bacon (although frozen) and Heinz beans, Double Gloucester and Cheddar cheeses, Worcester and HP sauces, Tomato Ketchup, Kellogg’s cereals etc, (but I like to eat whatever the locals eat - not being a stereotypical British traveller).

As for restaurants, the Squash is the best for food and service, but you are usually served olives, carrots, bread and butter and sardine paste (which are all added onto your bill, so if you don’t want them just say so at the beginning of the meal otherwise you will be charged - and this goes for all the restaurants where we ate so be careful!), getting back to the Squash restaurant food the (poached) salmon in champagne sauce chateaubriand for 2 people and Portuguese style steaks were all excellent and cooked just right, I should know I am a chef at heart. The next on the list of recommendation is the Churrasqueira da Rocha, (next to Nova China - Upstairs), fabulous whole chicken piri piri (if you're a bloke with a large appetite don't order the half chicken though). I had steak in mushroom sauce (steak cooked rare) but came as medium rare but was very nice.

The third recommendation is Sitting Bull, a Mexican themed restaurant but they do excellent steaks. They are located on the main strip, there is a Harley Davidson bike outside with a lady called Rachel wearing a black Stetson hat, the salad you get here before the meal is free so go ahead, it's very nice (lettuce, red kidney beans, sweet corn and a special dressing - chef’s own) and does have a sea view terrace in the summer months, although a little chilly in October. Next on our list of restaurants would have to be Nova China, upstairs and next door to Churrasqueira da Rocha, not salty, we were advised to avoid the Shanghai Chinese restaurant opposite Dories and next door to Star Karaoke Bar, the food and service in Nove China was very good.

If you adore Italian food then La Dolce Vita is the best Italian on the seafront strip (although the service is slow and you can find filled baby nappies on the floor in the ladies toilet which put me off my food) but the first night we ate there the food was very good. Restaurante O Barao do both Portuguese and International food, we had this recommended by three Irish ladies but I had Tuna Fish and the portion was so large it put me off and the tuna was too well done. The other restaurants we tried were Adris, the steak was average and the beef Diana were poor to average, the service was too quick, it felt like you were in a cattle shed market, no atmosphere either to the place.

We were conned on the first evening at Restaurant Garrafeira, where we got stung for the olives, carrots, Parma ham and bread and butter entrees. Do not eat them in any restaurant if you don’t want them or if you don’t want charging ask for them to be taken away, that’s how they make a few pounds per couple/family per night! We had breakfast in our room at Clube Praia da Rocha every morning (where I bought fresh bread, butter, marmalade, jam, yoghurts, orange juice, cereals and milk), except on the last day where I saw a recommendation for Kathy’s Cafe Horizonte on the internet, just before the new viewing point on the right hand side of the road. The breakfast was fantastic and lasted me nearly all day, but my fiancé got quite hungry as I find him hard to fill at home!

The breakfast comprised of Danish back bacon, English sausage, fried egg, Heinz baked beans, tomatoes, toast (which looked like fried bread to me but was really nice), coffee or tea for 4.85 euros each, served until 1500hrs in the afternoon too, I washed my brunch as we call it in our house, with a pint of Super Bock, lovely!.... We ate at the Hotel Clube Praia da Rocha once in the evening on the Friday, (they repeat the menu every week) but for thirteen euros you could eat as much as you wanted varying from hot and cold buffet, but you also had the choice of Sangria, red or white wine or as much Super Bock beer all included in the price.

As I say we ate there once and we had to chase them for our desserts as they started packing them away around 2115hrs. So beware. Apparently at the far end of the strip going towards Edificio Concorde is an Indian called Taj Palace, but we never had the time to try it as along with Caledonia (steak and chicken house), Cletonia (pizzeria), Restaurant "A Balanca", Dories steakhouse or Fagins Fish and Chip shop and Farmers Snack bar (which includes jacket potatoes and sandwiches). A few local words worth remembering:-

A conta por favor - the bill please

Obrigado - thank you

Por favour - please

Olav - Hello

All in all we both enjoyed the resort of Praia da Rocha but the Clube Praia da Rocha is in desperate need of refurbishment."

by R Sanders and Mr A Eastwood

1/ 10

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The Hotel Club Praia Da Rocha had all...

"The Hotel Club Praia Da Rocha had all the amenities you would need and was 2 minutes walk from all the bars and restaurants. It was a little tired and could do with a lick of paint here and there, but was clean and all of the staff where friendly.

The resort was fantastic with so many bars and restaurants it would take you six months to eat in all of them. Everyone was so friendly. The beach was beautiful, well kept and seemed to go on forever.

We will definitely go back."

by G Devlin

9/ 10

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Just got back from a fantastic week...

"Just got back from a fantastic week at Praia Da Rocha, staying at Club Praia Da Rocha.

I must admit that after reading various reviews of the hotel myself and my boyfriend prepared for the worst.

Glad to say no problem at all, lovely and large apartment on the 8th floor - cleaned 4 times, towels changed twice and beds not changed in the week we were there.

Yes, the lifts had a mind of their own, yes we did have to hire nearly everything, toaster, safe key, sun beds at a euro a day but the holiday only cost us £398 total with flights from Manchester so we couldn’t complain.

If anyone is thinking of going in September when the prices are cheaper and the place is not so busy, do it!!

The weather was gorgeous and hot all week, not a cloud in the sky.

The resort itself has something for everyone, quite bars, loud bars and about 10 Irish bars, loads of fantastic places to eat.

We had a hire car so for shopping we went to the larger supermarkets, the hotel shop is really expensive I think it cost us about £1.90 for a 2 litre bottle of R Whites Lemonade!!

If you want culture and history go to Silves or Lagos, very beautiful and full of character.

Slide and Splash is also a great day out, it cost us 13 euros each for the day and numerous slides to keep you entertained.

For a boat trip we went on the Pirate Ship that lasts approx. 3 hours and takes you round the coast and then into the caves in smaller boats.

The beach is gorgeous - the sunbeds cost us 4.50 euro each per day, too be honest it is better value if you by a lilo on the first day of your holiday, it will save you a euro a day by the pool and 4.50 on the beach.

All in all it was a fantastic holiday, but I don’t think we would have enjoyed it so much in the height of the season probably a bit too busy.

Suitable for couples, families and anyone who wants to spend relaxing days by the pool or on the beach then spend the evening eating and drinking.

Possibly for people looking for culture and a more quieter nightlife, this holiday might not be suitable."

by Bennett

7/ 10

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Weather was great but the hotel was...

"Weather was great but the hotel was very basic and didn’t even supply a kettle or toaster and the shower was terrible, which is quite an important thing. Would not recommend the hotel but certainly would the resort.

No problems at all with the tour company, we opted to make our own way from the airport to the hotel, it cost about 60euros but between three of us we found it be well worthwhile as we did not spend hours in a coach and got checked in at the hotel immediately.

Lots of beach weather sports to do which is fun, nightlife is fun too, not mad busy like the Balearics and a very heavy Irish and Dutch contingent."

by P Duncan

7/ 10

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This accommodation should be renamed...

"This accommodation should be renamed Club Hire De Rocha as all you do is pay for the hire of nearly everything in the hotel, ie sun beds, toasters, kettles, fans, TV. etc.

So please budget for all these extras. The rooms were in need of an update as there was not enough power points (2) and the shower system was out of the ark. Linen in our room was changed once a week(not 2 as promised).the lifts were a nightmare with a mind of there own.

The actual resort was s0 so with a lack of decent restaurants and if I had wanted to go to Eire to meet the Irish I would have gone to Dublin (it would have been cheaper) P.S. to get a sunbed in the morning here is the method of guaranteeing you get one.

Step1 rise at 7:45 am. 2. Go to reception and purchase tickets for said beds and parasol(1 euro per item per day) 3. Stand in queue till 9 a.m. When these will be supplied on receipt of said ticket. 4. These beds are now yours till officially 7p.m. (unofficially they start collecting them at 4p.m.) The club has a supermarket, newsagents, and film processing shop attached to the complex and as you would expect these are a tad more expensive than the one round the corner.

All in the entire beach is excellent with stunning views and water sports. the people are friendly and sincere with just the occasional dealer trying to sell you drugs. Please do not be put off with this review as it’s only my experience it’s a lovely resort and country just consider another hotel. Cheers."

by C Mclean

2/ 10

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We were pleasantly surprised on...

"We were pleasantly surprised on reaching this allocated on arrival hotel. When the rep told us our destination I almost went back into the airport and got flights back home.

We had seen this hotel on the "holidays from hell" program not once but twice but the rep told us that he lived in the hotel and it wasn’t that bad. He was right it is quite comfortable & clean. We had a one bed apt with a view over the pool. TV. in the room is free with cosmos, other tour operator guests pay 50 euro for the remote control and get 10 back on checkout. Breakfast is scrambled or boiled eggs and frankfurters never a fried egg. Cereals and continental, croissants etc. Fresh bread & rolls baked on the premises.

Dinner is mainly one fish dish & one or two meat dishes, nothing to write home about. but edible. Nice choice of sweets.

A nice touch is that the wine and beer(excellent quality) in the dining room is free. Nothing much to see or do in the resort but stunning beaches and a cheery night life. There is a pretty little town, Portimao, a one euro ride away on the bus from outside the hotel, or 20 min. Walk along the coast road. Don’t buy cigs from blokes who sidle up to you in the street and whisper "15 euros, very cheap" they are conmen.

We enjoyed this holiday & would certainly return to this hotel."

by mick72

8/ 10

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